Grain header



Sept. I, 1931. H. H. WILKERSON GRAIN HEADER 2 Sheets-Sheet 11 Filed DGO. 1950 GRAIN HEADER Filed DSC. 2. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ein/vento@ J. Jll/ikeron.

55") rEhe invention iurtliorconiprisesfgagrain Patented Sept. 1, 192% u p J GRAIN HEADER 'application :nee December 2,1930, semi No, liasses.

This invention relates to improvements in Vllnoiulted rrelative to the Acutting bar in suoli1 ygrain headers of the type particularlyadaptya manneras to produce the desired results.

ed for heading sorghum erops'and comprises lOther objects and advantages of the invena series oi forwardly )rejecting guard ineintion will bec-ome apparent during the course beraadapted to be vcarried adjaeenttlie lcutof tlie following description, forming a part 5750 ting bar or sickle of a grainlieaderfin Close ot this speoilioationand in which, i

relation tothe usual grain guards or fingers 1F igure l is a. top elevation, illustrating a which are commonlyemployed in connection series of the vsuppleinental guard lingers in with grain headers new ontlie ine-risenv ialso, plaeerelative to the Cutting bar or Scythe and im i the inventionv comprises ajinetal'liespring the relation of the supplemental guard fn- ,f5.5 l member etendingfroni the .tipfofeaclij of gers to the endless conveyor is also illustlie supplemental guarcl'lingers to. tliez'rear tinted;` l n A portion thereof Where they; are` resilientljT Figure 2 is ja topl .elevation enlarged and supported against lateral thrust, vWliereloy Partly blOlSIl away t0 llutllte more in degrain may, pass betweentlieseries of suppletail vtheyCollslf'LCEOD Of the Supplemental ,rv-0 mental guard lingersan'd inetallio spring guard iingersiuetallie `ripping members and members which may lgrip theggrainrelose to `grain tueker Carried by the supplemental the head inorder that the sainer may; loeout guard finger; 1 byv the Sickle. 01 gythgl al; point,M A1130, j Flgufeg 72u lODgltllCllnl CIOSS-S-QCZOIlLl carried by the supplemental guardgnger Vieiv takenr on line {5S-f3 of Figure 2, il1ussupporting parare a series .of round-bars ,ulng tlemafllen Wliill .the supplemental Y' having one ot'tlieir ends passing through an guard HgSI'S 2119 CODIlCed to the guard f opening in the guard finger supporting ilger supporting bar .or angle iron and. the and bolted `to the rear portion of eacligo-tlie .111211111611 in which a Scythe or' sickle iS SHP- l supplemental guard fingers.l Tv-l e opposite POlGd 1S 5115? Shown, It will be noted tliatego end of tlio round is supported by asinii- @he Conveyor roller supporting bill iS ShOWIl lar guard'iinger supporting bar and ya con- 1n gross-section Jrior showin@ the manner in veyor may be. supported by-:tlie round'bars WhC-l the, Sam@ 1S Cmucted t0 the supple having lrollers thereony at :spaced intervals. infantili gum@ ifi-ngel' and tha transverse angle iron. Y A55 Figure 4 is Va transverse CrosssectionalY` Y View, vtaken on line .of Figure 3, illusi ti-,ating the same in enlarged form and showing the relative position of the supplemental guard fingers to the conventional guarden linger 4and illustrating themanner in Which tucker adapted to lie Carried intermediate the ends of the suppleinentalguard fingers and extending tliereover wlierebyitli'e grain stalk Lmay be slightly bent' WhileV passing between the supplemental guard lingers' and tlie1nemln@ Spring ntembes' .l the Sinne are connected to the Cutting bar; Y Heretoforev 1t haSbeQ-n Proposed# tofattam I Fioure 5 is a transverse `cross-sectional Objects which are Set forth by thll'fnveltitm vietvitaken online 5,-5 of yFiiire 3 showin@ im' 10V FTW" ing' dvs mCludn-gSllllemgntal ktheirmanner in Awhich the spring gripping 5 A guard fingers mounted l'ietiveenv thefeonven- 5 gers vare .resiliently Supported from 'the tional form of guard lingersemployed@ supplemental guard fingersand alsollus- Cu'ttllg lOMS iol' {Qflllllllls and AlGSllll@ tratingthe inanner oit looselv supporting the are not provided with. longit 'dinally ldisreeends of the spring gripping members;

f.- posed,grippingfspring members, nor are tliey and` f l i l, `90

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the grain tucker illustrating the same in detail.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein like reference characters are employed to designate like parts throughout the same, the reference characters 5 and 6 will generally be employed to designate a pair of laterally extending angle irons which extend from the side of a harvester and grain threshing machine and passing transversely through the angle irons 5 and 6 are a series of bars 7 having a squared portion 8 at one end thereof adapted to be received in a squared opening 9 in the web portion of the angle iron 5. The opposite end of the round bar 7 is anchored in the angle bar 6 by means of nuts 10 threaded on screw threaded portions von the round bars 7.

The conventional guide bars 11 are secured to the web portion of the angle bar 5 by means of a round boss thereon passing through an opening 12 in the web portion of the angle bar 5 and is anchored in the angle bar 5 by means of nuts threaded on screw threaded portions on the round boss, as clearly illustrated in Figure 5. A sickle or scythe, also of conventional form, is represented by the reference character' 13 and the sickle or Scythe 13 is adapted to pass through a cut-out portion 14 formed in a block 15V bolted to the block 8 which is also provided with a cut-out portion to receive the opposite side of the sickle or scythe and to thereby guide the same in its horizontal movement. The block 15 is bolted to an integral squared part of the round bar 7 and these two members are connected together' by means of bolts 16 passing through an angle portion of the angle bar 5 which passes through the rear portion 17 of the supplemental guard fingers 18. Further, the bolt 16 passes through the squared portion 8 of the round bar 7 and through the member 15 whereby the same may be held in place by a nut 19 threaded on the ends of the bolts 16.

T hebolt 20 may also pass through the rear portion 17 of the supplemental guard fingers 187 squared portion 8 and the Scythe supporting` member 15 whereby the parts may be i held in place by a nut 21 threaded on the end of the bolt in order to form a more rigid construction. The round portion 7 of the squared end 8 may be provided with wooden rollers 22 rotatably mounted thereon and it is preferably desirable to space the wooden roll- .ers 22 'upon different rounded portions 7 of the bar 8 preferably two feet from each other for supporting the usual endless conveyor 23 having `strengthening ribs of wood or the like 24. It is to be understood that any number of wooden rollers 22 mounted on the round bars 7` may be placed on alternate bars pipes merely functioning to provide spacers between the angle irons 5 and 6. It is also to be noted that the round bars 7 are positioned centrally relative to the web portion of the angle bar 5 in order that the same will not interfere with the operation of the endless conveyor 23 and in order that the same will assist in supporting the conveyor when the same is under load.

Each of the supplemental guard fingers 18 extend forwardly in parallel relation from the transverse angle iron 5 and the same may be tapered forwardly into a pointed portion upon which is adapted to be secured the front end of a spring gripping member 27 by means of rivets or screws 25. The spring gripping member 27 is provided with a curved portion 28 whereby the spring gripping member 27 may extend nearly parallel for its whole length with the supplemental guard fingers 18. The free ends of each of the spring gripping members 27 are provided with an angle portion 29 which is presented to the edge or the side of the supplemental guard fingers 18. The spring gripping members 27 are resiliently supported from the supplemental guard fingers 18 and are adapted to be normally held away therefrom by means of coil springs 32 having one of their ends received and engaging the spring gripping members by means of a boss 33 while the opposite end of the coil springs 32 abut against a nut 34 which may be adjusted for regulating the tension of the springs 27. A boss 35 is formed integral with the nut 34 for centering the springs 32. The boss 35 may be secured to the supplemental guard fingers V18 by means of extensions 36 more clearly illustrated in Figure 2 passing through openings 37 in the supplemental guard fingers.

On one side of each of the supplemental guard lingers 18 is provided a bearing 40 having ears 41 adapted to lie flush with the side of the supplemental guard linger 18 and held in place thereon by means of bolts or rivets 42. The bearings 40 are adapted to receive the lower end of a rod 43 which is held against vertical movement by Cotter keys 44 above and below the bearing block 40. The upper end of each of the vertical rods 43 are bent at an angle as at 45 terminating therein and adapted for connection to a grain tucker 46 by means of rivets 47. The grain tucker 46 comprises an elongated strip of metal having its forward edge upturned as at 48 whereby the forward edge 48 may be in a higher plane than the rear edge 49. As illustrated in Figure 3, the grain tucker V46 is inclined at an angle in order to bend the grain stalk before it is operated upon or presented to the cutting scythe or sickle.

It is to be noted that the spring gripping members 27 extend parallel with the alternate adjacent supplemental guard fingers 18 and are in close proximity thereto whereby ithe vgrain may, Ypass therebetween and the tention is also fdire'cted to the manner in which the round bar 7is` secured to the web portion of the angle bar V5 and the manner in which the squared, bar'8 ofthe round bar "if is sandwiched between the sickle support# ing member andthe rear `portionl of the Y guard lingerglS.

l For a consideration of the operation of the grain heading machine, attention is directed to Figure l, wherein is shown the supplemental guard lingers in their assembled fposition interposed between the conventional form of guard ngers l1 secured to the channel iron 5 which forms a support for the endless conveyor 23. As the device is moved along the ground, the grain is guided by the supplemental guard fingers 18 and the operative face of the spring gripping members 2'? and as the machine moves forward the grain is gripped more tightly before being presented to the reciprocating sickle 13. ln this manner, grain may be headed more closely to the top of the stalk, due to the fact that it is frictionally held between the metallic spring gripping members 27 before being op.- erated upon by the sickle or Scythe 13.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to Without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined.

claims.

Having thus described the invention, whatV Y headers, of the character described, comprising a plurality of supplemental grain lingers interposed between the conventional grain fingersk on a grain heading machine, a spring strip for each of the 'supplemental grain fingers secured to the forward or tip portion in a rigid fashion and resilient means carried by the sides of each of the supplemental grain fingers for resiliently supporting the` rear or free end of the metallic spring strip. A

3. In combination with a grain harvester, and threshing machine, having laterally eX- tending angle irons, and grain guards secured to one of the angle irons adjacent the sickle, of a series of supplemental guard fingers interposed between each pair of grain guard 'f lingers, means for securing the supplemental `guard lingers to each pair of angle irons, andiresihent lgripping means secured to one side face of each of the supplemental guard A fingers..y Y c 4./ In combination with a grain harvester,

or thresher, having laterally extending angle irons, and guard. ngers secured to -oney of the angle irons adJacent the cutting bar'ther'eof, of a series of supplemental guard fingers mounted between the grain guard fingers,

lsaid supplemental vguard lingers comprising a longitudinal wedge-shaped member adapt-V ed to be supportedby the angle iron adjacent the sickle, and means securedv on one side face Vofthe supplemental guard nger for frictionally engaging the grain, whereby the same will be frictionally heldbefore being harvesting machine.

.presented to the reciprocating sickle of the n ing a pair of` laterally extending angle bars,

a reciprocating sickle and a grainconveyor,

of a series of supplementalgrain'lingers carried by one of the angle barsextendinglater` ally from the O'ra-inheader-adj acent-the sickle, a metallic spring strip having its forward end secured to the` forward end; of each of the supplemental grain lingers andV its rear end resiliently supported adjacent the rear endv of the grain guard and an elongated member supported above the supplemental guardfin- `gers for bending the grain stalks being operated upon. Y

6. In combination with a grain header having apair of laterally extending angle irons,

a reciprocating vsickle andan endless conveyor,"of a'series of ysupplemental guard lingers 'carried Abyone of the angle irons, `said l supplemental guard lingers being rigidlyl secured tothe angle bars, Va supporting block for eachof the'supplemental guard fingers,

vincluding a block bolted` 'to the rearporti-on of the supplemental guard fingers, having a --reduced portion 'which is'ladapted to pass through the angle barandform a roller support for the endless lconveyor of the vgrain header, and a metallic strip having one of its ends'rigidly secured to the forward end of each of the supplemental guard fingersand" its rear or free end resiliently supported by the rear portion of the guard fingers adjacent one of the angle irons, whereby the grain beha u u u reciprocating cutting sickle.

in@r operated-kr upou "will be `presented to thevv 7. In combination witha grain header hav- Y ing a pair :of laterally extending angle irons and grainguard fingerssecured to one of the angle irons, of a series of round bars .connect-p ing the laterally extendingchannel irons having a square block portion thereon, rollers rotatably mounted oneach` ofthe connectingV round bars, an endless conveyorpassing over the rollers,`a supplemental guard finger secured to the block,'a reciprocating sickle'slidably mounted and supported by the supplemental guard support, a supplemental guard finger supported by the supplemental guard support, bolts passing through the rear portion of each of the supplemental guard fingers and supplemental guard supports whereby thel same will be held to one of the angle irons and a metallic spring strip carried by the sidev face of each of the supplemental guard fingers whereby the grain being operated upon will be gripped at the highest possible point on the stalk before being presented lto the reciprocating sickle.

8. The combination with a grain header having a pair of laterally extending angle irons and grain guard fingers secured to one of the angle irons, and a series of round bars connecting the laterally extending channel irons having a square block portion thereon, rollers rotatably mounted on each of the connecting round bars, an endless conveyor pass.

HENRY H. WILKERSON.

ing over the rollers, a supplemental guard fin* ger secured to the block, a reciprocating sickle slidably mounted and supported by the supplemental guard support, a supplemental guard finger supported by the supplemental guard support, bolts passing through the rear portion of each of the supplemental guard fingers and supplemental guard supports whereby the same will be held to one of the angle irons, a metallic spring strip carried by -the side face of each of the supplemental guard fingers for frictionally gripping the grain stalks being operated upon and a graintucker mounted above the su plemeutal guard lingers and supported there y.

9. A grain header of the character described, comprising a pair of lateral angle irons adapted to be supported by a wheeledv frame, a conveyor supported by the anglek irons, a cutting bar associated and supported by one of the angle irons, guard fingers carried in spaced relation on one of the supporting bars, supplemental guard fingers interposed between the guard fingers also supported by one of the angle bars, a spring strip extending from the tip of each of the supplemental guard fingers to the rear portion thereof, and means for resiliently supporting the free ends of the metallic spring strips, bearings carried by each of the supplemental guard fingers on the side face thereof, vertical rods supported in the bearings, an elongated grain tucker connecting the upper end of each of the vertical rods and said grain tucker being presented at an angle inclined upwardly to the forward movement of the machine. y

10. A grain header of the character described, comprising guard fingers, supplemental guard fingers supported in spaced relation between the guard fingers, a metallic spring strip extending from the tip of each of the supplemental guard fingers to the rear portion thereof, means for resiliently sup- 

